Joseph Dufour et Cie (est. 1797)

Polynesians of the Marquesas (Panel 18)

From: *“Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique” or “Les Voyages du Capitaine Cook”*
Designed by Jean-Gabriel Charvet (1750–1829)
Mâcon and Paris, France: 1804–1805 Block-printed wallpaper

Dimensions: 69" x 29"

This elegant vertical panel from Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique offers a tranquil yet deeply evocative vision of Marquesan life — a Polynesian society shaped by kinship, ritual, and oceanic connection. Framed by soaring palms and soft horizon lines, the composition centers on three seated figures in quiet repose, while others gather beneath the trees or prepare for travel across the lagoon. A red-sailed canoe glides through the background, part of a broader tableau portraying Pacific maritime activity.

The serenity of the scene belies its deeper narrative: this is a portrait of a society attuned to nature and the cosmos, where movement, memory, and social order were passed through generations via oral tradition, celestial observation, and artistic expression.

Charvet’s depiction honors this unity — between people, land, and sea — with compositional grace and a soft palette that conveys both intimacy and grandeur.

Historical and Cultural Context:

•  Based on accounts from Captain Cook and later explorers like La Billardière, the Marquesans were noted for their striking beauty, elaborate body art, and ceremonial dress. Chiefs wore feathered diadems and whitewood ear ornaments, while commoners gathered in communal huts or worked the sea.

•  Cook and his crew were astounded by the sophistication of Polynesian navigation — feats achieved without written maps, using stars, swells, and ancestral memory.

•  Though idealized in neoclassical style, this panel reflects genuine Enlightenment admiration for Pacific cultures, portraying Polynesians not as curiosities, but as stewards of a rich and complex world.

With its harmonious detail and reverent tone, this panel endures as a tribute to Polynesia’s legacy as a civilization of explorers, artists, and deep-water navigators.